Drinking-cup.



W. H. TIGHBORNE.

DRINKING CUP.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 12,1913.

l 1 1 '7, 1 O9, Patented Nov. 10, 1914.

Snom/Lto@ 61 ttovnm THE MORRIS PETERS co.. PHcTo-LITHO.. WASHING roN. n. C.

WILLIAM H. TIcHBoRNn, or WHEELING, wns'r VIRGINIA.. j

DRINKING-CUP.

Speecationof Letters Patent. Patented NGV, 10, 1914',

Application led September 12, 1913.l Serial No. 789,480.

To all 'whom t may concern Be it known that I, `WILLIAM H. TIGII- BORNE, a citizen of the United States, residing at W'heeling, in the county of Ohio and State of West Virginia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Drinking-Cups, of which the following is a specification.

An object of the invention is to provide a collapsible drinking cup.

The invention embodies, among other features, the provision of a drinking cup which can be collapsed so as to readily fit into the pocket and which is preferably made of a material permitting of the drinking cup being readily cleaned so as to present a neat and sanitary appearance and which, furthermore, can be used many times and will not easily wear out or become broken.

A still further embodiment of the invention is the provision of a drinking cup which can be cheaply manufactured and which embodies few and simple parts that can be readily assembled for the purpose of obtaining the desired result.

In the further disclosure of the invention reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, constituting a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference denote corresponding parts in all the views, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the drinking cup showing the same in open position; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the drinking cup showing the same in. collapsed position; Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional View of the structure as disclosed in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken on the line 4 4 in Fig.2; and Fig. 5

is a vertical sectional view taken on the line .5 5 in Fig. 2.

Referring more particularly to the views, I provide a plurality of cup forming members 10 and 11, the cup forming member 11 being slightly larger than the cup forming member 10, and the said cup forming members being preferably made of a spring-like flexible material such as Celluloid or the like. The cup forming member 10 is some-l what eggshaped in contour and at its ends v12 carries connecting members 13 in the 13 are in the 'form of rivets as mentioned,

the stem 14 of each member includes an integralhead 17 abutting against a face of the cup forming member 10 and the free end of the stem has applied thereto an auxiliary head 18 abutting against a face of the cup forming member l1, as shown.

f Now referring to the views it will be apf parent that when the drinking cup'is in the position shown in F ig, 2, the cup formingmembers will lie fiat against each other, with the stems of the connecting members lying at the inner ends of the slots 15. order to arrange the cup forming members to provide a receptacle 19 as shown in Fig.

1', the cup forming member 11 is preferablyy Yheld in 'onel hand at thepoint 20 and a pressure ,isy exerted against the cup forming Now in member 10 at the point 21, thus causing the innery edge of the cup forming member 10 to slide on the inner face of the cup forming member 11 and form vthe receptacle 19, the stems 14 of the connecting members 13 being adapted to slide in the slots 15 so that when the cup forming members are arranged in receptacle-forming. position the stems of the connecting memberswill lie in the outer ends of the slots and the inner edge of the cup forming member 10 will abut against the inner face of the cup forming member 11, thus forming a water-tight joint. By simply pressingl upwardly on the cup forming member 10 adjacent its inner edge, the cup forming members, owing to their collapsible nature, will readily assume the collapsed position shown in Fig. 2 so that the drinking cup can be easily placed in the pocket andwill take up very little i room.

Asv mentioned heretofore, I preferably form the cup forming members` of celluloid, although it will be understood thaty any other suitable flexible and fluid-proof material can be used.

I do not contemplate my drinking cup forv use in the manner of the ordinary china.

drinking cups used in households, but more as an article which can be conveniently carioo with two flat collapsible cup-forming members, one or" which is provided with a plurality of opposed slots and larger than the other cupdiorming member, of connecting members carried by the other cup-forming member and having portions thereof slidable in the slots to connect the cup-forming members at their ends whereby they can be relatively flexed to provide a substantially eonieally shaped receptacle.

ln a drinking cup, the combination with a plurality of flat flexible cup-forming members, one of which is provided with a plurality of slots at its ends and larger than the other eup-forming member, of means Carried by the other cup-forming member and operating in the slots of the first mentioned eupiorming member and relatively connecting the eupforming members, whereby they can be relatively positioned to form a receptacle, with an edge of the smaller cup-forming member lying within and abutting against the inner face of the larger Cup-forming member.

3. As a new article or" manufacture, a drinking Cup Comprising two flexible oupforming members, one of which is larger than the other and provided with a plurality of similar slots, and members carried by the smaller cup-forming member and slidable in the slots of the larger eup-forming member whereby the eup-forming members can be relatively positioned so that an edge of the smaller cup-forming member will lie within and abut against the inner face of the larger eup-forming member to `form a eonieal receptacle.

ln testimony Whereor1 l allix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

VXLLAM H. TlCHBORNE.

Vlitnesses CHARLES FRANK MILLER, "WRIGHT WALTER Wronrmin Copies oi' this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

